Madaniyah Foundation

Independent School

DCSF Registration Number 316/6065 Unique Reference Number 134591 Inspection number 332818 Inspection dates 27–28 January 2009 Reporting inspector Michèle Messaoudi

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Independent School

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 162A of the Education Act 2002, as amended. This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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Independent School

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE T 08456 404040 www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Purpose and scope of the inspection

This inspection was carried out by Ofsted under Section 162A of the Education Act 2002, as amended, the purpose of which is to advise the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families about the school’s suitability for continued registration as an independent school.

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Information about the school

Jamiah Madaniyah Primary School is a non-selective Muslim school for boys and girls between five and 11 years of age. It is located in a residential area of Forest Gate in the London Borough of Newham. It was opened in 2004 by its current proprietor who is also the principal and, in this capacity, manages the school and oversees the quality of education. There are 35 pupils on roll taught in six classes. The pupils are mainly of North African, Pakistani and Somali heritages. None have a statement of educational needs. All have English as an additional language and many are bilingual. Some are at various advanced stages of learning English. The school was last inspected in January 2006.

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Information about the school

Jamiah Madaniah aims to ‘develop a child in partnership with parents through an enhanced Islamic environment; integrate Islamic teachings throughout the day into the various areas of the curriculum;’ and ‘foster a love of learning in each individual child.’

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Evaluation of the school

Jamiah Madaniyah has made significant improvements since the last inspection and now provides a satisfactory quality of education that enables pupils to make at least satisfactory progress. It makes good provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and it meets its stated aims. Pupils enjoy coming to school and their welfare, health and safety are promoted well. Parents are very positive about the school’s work. Jamiah Madaniah complies with all but two of the regulations for independent schools.

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Quality of education

The curriculum is satisfactory. The school has reviewed its aims and objectives and states clearly in its documentation that it teaches Islamic studies and most subjects of the National Curriculum. The breadth of the curriculum encompasses the study of Islamic beliefs and practices, Qur’anic verses, hadith (sayings of Prophet Muhammad), literacy, numeracy, science, information and communication technology (ICT), geography, history, art and design and technology, personal, social and health education, religious education (RE) and physical education (PE). Although music is not taught formally, pupils have weekly opportunities to sing nashids (Islamic songs). There are plans at hand to reintroduce the teaching of Arabic as a language and to teach RE within Islamic studies. The subjects are suitably timetabled to ensure a good balance between the various areas. The planning of the curriculum has improved and detailed schemes of work ensure continuity and progression of

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Quality of education

learning. The school follows the national literacy and numeracy strategies and uses National Curriculum guidance, which supports the teaching well. The curriculum has strengths that include the provision for ICT and personal, social and health education (PSHE) and the planning of cross-curricular links, although there is no curriculum overview that would enable the school to exploit all opportunities for cross-curricular work fully. Teachers are skilled in integrating Islamic teachings into subject areas.

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Quality of education

Provision for literacy is mainly satisfactory, with good features in those classes where there are many planned opportunities for creative writing in several subjects. Teachers hear individual pupils read daily. However, there are weaknesses in the teaching of reading as staff do not have sufficient knowledge of how to teach reading skills to beginners and there are insufficient resources to support pupils’ first reading steps. While the standards of handwriting are generally satisfactory, the school has yet to develop strategies to encourage pupils, particularly those in Years 5 and 6, to join their letters consistently. Provision for numeracy, science and other subjects is satisfactory. There are insufficient educational visits to enhance the curriculum and enrich pupils’ learning experiences. There are no extra-curricular activities on offer at present to extend pupils’ skills and develop their interests.

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Quality of education

The quality of teaching and assessment is satisfactory with good features. It has improved significantly owing to a commitment to teachers’ continual professional development and effective partnerships with outside agencies. The staff form a very cohesive team who work closely together. They have a very caring attitude towards the children and establish excellent relationships in their classes. They prepare a very bright, stimulating learning environment with attractive displays of teaching tools and pupils’ work. As classes are very small, teachers know their pupils very well and give them effective individual support. They share the learning objectives clearly with pupils and help them understand how the lesson relates to prior learning. Open- ended questions are used effectively to make pupils think. Teachers plan a variety of tasks and use various methods to match pupils’ different learning styles and promote

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Quality of education

independence of learning. Where the teaching is good, the planning matches pupils’ needs closely and resources are used very effectively to support theoretical learning with a good variety of practical work. Good teaching also promotes speaking and thinking skills very well by giving pupils numerous opportunities to participate and make presentations while maintaining a high level of challenge. Where the teaching is satisfactory, the planning does not match pupils’ needs sufficiently closely and the available resources are not used effectively to give pupils the visual support they need. Creativity is lost where the teaching relies heavily on worksheets. Occasionally, the pace of the lesson is too slow and so pupils cannot make all the progress of which they are capable.

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Quality of education

The school has a satisfactory assessment framework to test pupils’ knowledge and teachers use this information to plan suitable work. Although teachers’ ongoing assessments enable them to monitor individual pupils’ progress, the format used does not give them an instant overview that can be referred to easily. Although there are examples of constructive marking in the school, teachers’ comments do not help pupils gain a sufficiently clear understanding of what to do next to improve. Consequently, they cannot make progress at the rate of which they are capable. Likewise, although teachers write detailed progress reports for parents and tell them what their children can do, their comments do not always indicate what the children need to do to improve.

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Quality of education

As a result of the satisfactory curriculum, teaching and assessment, most pupils make satisfactory progress in their academic learning. Some make good progress in relation to their starting points.

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Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of the pupils

Provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. The Islamic ethos is promoted consistently throughout the day and permeates all activities. The Islamic studies programme helps pupils develop a strong commitment to good morals and manners. Daily assemblies enable pupils to feel they belong to a community and daily collective prayers enhance the spirit of brotherhood and sisterhood. Pupils like their school, as reflected in their good attendance, good behaviour and eagerness to learn. There is no unauthorised absence. Pupils form positive relationships with others, and so they play and work sensibly with each other. The staff provide excellent role models through their kind but firm handling of children. When asked what they like best about their school, pupils reply, ‘teachers who are patient and are always willing to help us.’

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Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of the pupils

Pupils contribute to school life in many ways. They make lively contributions in class, frequent presentations in assembly and bi-annual presentations to parents. They participate in debates and role-play, which builds their confidence and develops their speaking skills. They fulfil a good range of responsibilities across the school and have opportunities for leadership roles in every year group. They learn about British institutions and gain a good understanding of their future role as citizens through the PSHE programme and Islamic studies. Through history, geography and art, they develop a good cultural awareness and the RE programme prepares them well for life in a multicultural society. However, their cultural development is insufficiently enhanced by educational visits.

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Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of the pupils

Pupils acquire a good range of skills in literacy and numeracy that prepare them satisfactorily for the next stage of their education. They develop good skills in ICT and in team work.

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Welfare, health and safety of the pupils

The school has improved its policies and procedures and it now makes good provision for the welfare, health and safety of its pupils. The behaviour policy includes a good range of rewards and sanctions and it is implemented consistently. The anti-bullying policy is reinforced successfully in PSHE, Islamic studies and assemblies. Consequently, instances of bullying are rare and pupils feel very safe. There is a sufficient number of staff with first aid qualifications. Accidents are recorded conscientiously. The designated person for child protection and all the staff have recently refreshed their training. The school has a satisfactory standard of fire safety and carries out the required risk assessments to ensure the safety of all. The registers are maintained in conformity with regulations. The school fulfils its obligations under the Disability Discrimination Act 2002.

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Welfare, health and safety of the pupils

Through science, PSHE, assemblies and Islamic studies, pupils develop a good understanding of healthy lifestyles. There is a ban on fizzy drinks, sweets and chocolate, and pupils are encouraged to eat nutritious packed lunches. Indoor and outdoor PE lessons and the use of the local park ensure that they have a satisfactory amount of physical exercise.

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Suitability of the proprietor and staff

The proprietor ensures that all the required checks are carried out on staff prior to confirming their employment. He records all these checks in a single central register, in compliance with the latest guidance.

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School’s premises and accommodation

The classrooms are housed in prefabricated buildings that provide suitable and well maintained teaching accommodation. Each of the three classrooms is shared by two year groups and the space is used effectively to avoid the disruption of one group by another. The learning environment is bright and very pleasant, supported by good lighting, ventilation and heating. There is a dedicated ICT room which all classes can access and also a medical room. The small playground provides adequate space for outdoor play as play time is staggered to minimise the risk of accidents and the school makes frequent use of the local park.

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Provision of information for parents, carers and others

The school provides information mainly through its prospectus. It practises an open door policy and parents can arrange to meet staff as needed. They first meet their children’s teachers in September to discuss the results of initial assessments. They have termly formal meetings with teachers to review their children’s progress. They receive annual reports that detail their children’s progress in every subject. Consequently, parents feel well informed of their children’s progress.

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Procedures for handling complaints

The proprietor has suitable procedures for handling complaints fairly and promptly.

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Compliance with regulatory requirements

The school meets all of the Education (Independent School Standards) (England) Regulations 2003 as amended (“the Regulations”), with the exception of those listed below

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Compliance with regulatory requirements

The school does not meet all requirements in respect of the curriculum (standard 1) and must:

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Compliance with regulatory requirements

 ensure that teachers use effective methods for the teaching of reading skills to meet the needs of pupils who are at an early stage of reading, particularly in Key Stage 1 (paragraph 1(3)(c))  provide resources that are sufficient in range, quantity and quality for the teaching of reading skills, particularly in Key Stage 1 (paragraph 1(3)(f)).

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What the school could do to improve further

While not required by regulations, the school might wish to consider the following points for development:

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What the school could do to improve further

 develop strategies to involve pupils in assessment so that they gain a clear understanding of what to do next to improve and progress at a faster rate, including through the consistent use of constructive marking  provide pupils with regular opportunities for creative writing across the curriculum to further develop their literacy skills  develop strategies to further improve the quality of pupils’ handwriting, particularly in Key Stage 2  provide more educational visits to enrich pupils’ learning experiences and enhance their cultural development.

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Inspection Judgement Recording Form

outstanding good satisfactory inadequate

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The quality of education

Overall quality of education  How well the curriculum and other activities meet the range of needs and interests of pupils 

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The quality of education

How effective teaching and assessment are in meeting the full range of pupils’ needs 

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The quality of education

How well pupils make progress in their learning 

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Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development

Quality of provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 

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Welfare, health and safety of pupils

The overall welfare, health and safety of pupils 

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School details

Name of school Jamiah Madaniyah Primary School DCSF number 316/6065 Unique reference number 134591 Type of school Muslim day school Status Independent Date school opened 2004 Age range of pupils 5-11 years Gender of pupils Mixed Number on roll Boys: 16 Girls: 19 Total: 35 Annual fees £1,100 Address of school 80-84 Stafford Road Forest Gate London E7 8NN Telephone number 0208 4729125 Email address jamiah.madaniyah@googlemail.com Principal Mr Mohamed Hanif Proprietor Mr Mohamed Hanif Reporting inspector Mrs Michèle Messaoudi Dates of inspection 27–28 January 2009

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